


3am airport coffee is the way to my heart

by elrondjolras



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, and steve totally has a thing for tattoos, bucky is totally not a serial killer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-02-15 05:27:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2217447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elrondjolras/pseuds/elrondjolras
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>in which steve and bucky bond over delayed flights and sharpie tattoos</p>
            </blockquote>





	3am airport coffee is the way to my heart

"Oh you have got to be _kidding me!_ "

Steve stood in front of the flight status board, staring incredulously at the bright orange _delayed_ beside his flight number. Sighing, he pulled his backpack further up his shoulder, and made his way over to the waiting area, trying his best to avoid sprinting, briefcase-carrying businessmen and frantic families with more children than Steve cared to count. Seriously, where did kids get the energy to scream at 2 in the fucking morning?

The waiting area at his terminal gate consisted of tired and sour-faced people, obviously feeling the same way Steve did about the delay. He settled in the corner of an empty row, plugged in his earphones, and closed his eyes, hoping to at least get some sleep in the two hours he had to wait for his flight. He didn't know when he finally ended up dozing off, but was jostled awake when he felt someone sit down heavily beside him. He rubbed his eyes and checked the time on his phone. The numbers 2:37 am blinked up at him. The guy beside him shot Steve an apologetic look, to which Steve gave a small shake of his head to say _it's fine,_ and then turned his attention back to his phone, where he sent off a quick text to his mom, informing her that he would be late arriving.

Feeling eyes still on him, Steve looked back to his neighbor, only to see the guy look away hastily, eyes roaming anywhere and everywhere but at Steve. Taking in the chin length brown hair that formed a curtain around his face and light dusting of stubble, Steve decided the guy didn't look  _too_ serial killer-y, and softly said,

"Hello."

The guy's head snapped around and Steve was met with the most striking pair of blue eyes he had ever seen. A slow grin spread across the guy's face, and wow, okay, Steve was pretty sure serial killers didn't look at their potential murder victims like  _that._

"Hey," the guy said back, and oh, Steve thought it was just unfair for _anyone's_ voice to sound that sexy. 

He tentatively held a hand out towards the guy, and continued, "I'm Steve. Steve Rogers."

The guy looked at Steve's outstretched hand with a look of utter amusement, and Steve felt his face grow hot, but fuck it, his mother had raised him right, so yeah, he was doing this. The guy finally took Steve's hand and shook it twice with a firm grasp. Steve couldn't help the small pang of disappointment he felt when the guy let go.

"Well, it sure is nice t' meet ya, Steve, Steve Rogers," the guy drawled, and Steve rolled his eyes. "James Buchanan Barnes, but you can call me Bucky," he added with a wink that caused Steve's face to go hot all over again.

The guy, wait no, Bucky, turned in his seat to face Steve fully, and Steve could now see the tattoo that spread out across Bucky's left forearm, continuing on under where Bucky had rolled his shirt up to the elbow. It was probably a sleeve, Steve mused, and he wondered what the full thing looked like. From what he could see, it looked to be some kind of metal plating design, very intricate, and very well done.

"You like?" he heard Bucky ask, and he tore his gaze away form Bucky's arm. He hadn't meant to stare, but he was a sucker for tattoos, and Bucky's was really,  _really,_ nicely done. Whoever had done it had obviously put a lot of thought into getting the details  _just right._

"Yeah. Yeah, sorry, I just, it's amazing, it really is." Steve said, and Bucky chuckled awkwardly before saying,

"Thanks, I uh, I had a friend do it, I was really into the whole robot/cyborg thing, and he turned the idea into something way more complicated, and well, here I am. You got any?"

Steve shook his head, "No, no I don't but I've always wanted one. Or some. Or a lot. Yeah okay, you get the idea."

"What's stopping you then?"

"Apparently my skin reacts badly to the permanent ink. Allergy or something."

Bucky chewed at his bottom lip, (which Steve absolutely did _not_  stare at, nope!) until finally after a moment he spoke up and said, "Well, you know what, I'm pretty sure someone'll come up with like, allergy resistant ink or some shit like that soon enough, y'know?"

Steve gave a small laugh and looked up into Bucky's eyes, which were staring back into his unwavering. Steve cleared his throat, and broke eye contact, sure he was blushing again, and asked, "So why're you going to New York then?"

"Just visitin' family. Haven't really been back since I moved out, and my sister's been on my case for the longest time. How bout you, got a girl over there?'

Steve smiled sheepishly. "No, just my ma. But I think that's reason enough to wanna visit."

Bucky nodded in agreement, stifled a yawn, then got up, stretched and said, "Okay I need caffeine. Like right now. Be right back?"

Steve waved him off, and then, glancing at Bucky's retreating figure, opened his backpack and pulled out his sketchbook and a pencil. In the approximately 20 minutes he was gone, Bucky's likeness appeared on the very back page in quick, dark lines and rough shading. The drawing was very rough, but Steve thought it was okay, considering it was all from his memory of a face he had known for less than an hour. As Bucky returned, holding two cups, Steve quickly shut his sketchbook and balanced it on his lap. Bucky may seem laid back, but Steve didn't know if he'd like that a near complete stranger found drawing his face fascinating.

"Here, you looked like you needed something to wake you up too," Bucky said, handing Steve a steaming cup of coffee. Steve inhaled it gratefully, and the two sat in a companionable silence for a while, taking careful sips. Steve was shaken out of his reverie when Bucky gestured to the sketchbook still in his lap and asked, "You draw?"

Steve nodded, "Yeah. I'm starting to do a bit of animation, but what I really like is paper and pencil. Kinda old fashioned, I know, but I like it."

"Can I see?" Bucky looked genuinely eager, and Steve didn't ave the heart to tell him no, so he placed his cup at the foot of his seat and opened the book to the first page, where a portrait of his mother smiled up  at him. Bucky leaned over his shoulder, and Steve found it increasingly more difficult to concentrate when Bucky was breathing down his neck, lips almost touching his ear. He flipped through almost the entire book, but closed it before he reached the drawing of Bucky he had done.

"Wow Stevie, those are really good! I mean it, they're amazing!" Bucky said, retreating his head from where he had rested his chin on Steve's shoulder. Steve felt himself blush again, and he murmured a _thanks_ while rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He put his sketchbook back in his bag, and when he sat up straight again, he saw Bucky holding out a marker. Bucky offered it to Steve and then held out his right arm to Steve.

"You want me to draw on you?" Steve clarified, and Bucky nodded. "Like I said, you're good, and okay, I'd kinda like something by which to remember this cute guy I met at the airport," he finished with a smirk.

Steve gaped at him. Bucky thought he was cute.  _Bucky_ thought  _he_ was cute. Okay. Okay, he could work with that. Steve smiled as coyly as he could back at Bucky and replied, "Well, I suppose I could do that, but on one condition." He grinned widely as Bucky furrowed his brows, "And that condition is, the super hot stranger  _I_ met at the airport has to give me something to remember  _him_ by, after."

Bucky gave him the biggest shit-eating grin Steve had ever seen, and oh wow, Steve felt out of breath, but in a  _good_ way for a change. "Deal!" Bucky said, and stuck his arm out right in front of Steve's nose. Steve laughed and batted it away, moving it to rest in his lap, where he uncapped the marker and began drawing a pattern of flowers on the inside of Bucky's wrist. After about 15 minutes, he had Bucky's right forearm almost completely covered with little doodles, a stark contrast to the metal plates covering the left. He handed both his arm and the marker to Bucky, and Bucky immediately started on the inside of Steve's elbow, just underneath the end of his t-shirt sleeve. The marker moving across his skin was slightly ticklish, but what really caused Steve's breath to hitch was the attention Bucky was giving him. Steve was suddenly thanking his lucky stars that whatever it was that would act up with tattoo ink didn't seem to have a problem with a marker. Bucky finished his work on Steve's arm with a flourish and capped the marker, putting it back in the back pocket of his jeans. Steve looked down at the stick figure drawings of what he assumed were him and Bucky holding hands, and laughed delightedly, feeling a surge of affection for the man sitting next to him. he looked up, and oh wow, Bucky's face was a lot closer than he expected. Steve's next breath caught in his throat as Bucky's hand came up to rest on the side of his face, and then he was leaning in, and, and, and,

" _Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the delay, but Flight 32557 to New York has arrived, and we will start boarding immediately. Thank you for your patience."_

Steve squeezed his eyes shut and groaned, and Bucky touched their foreheads together, letting out a soft, rueful laugh. "Don't suppose we have seats next to each other, do ya?"

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! i'm considering maybe making this into a series if i get enough response


End file.
